Tag Archives: learn

Graphic Credit: B2B Marketing 2013 Social Media Infographic – What is the B2B social platform of choice for brands?

A Tweet Chat is a real-time chat, often scheduled on a regular day/time that are focused around a certain topic. It started from the use of hashtags (the pound sign # plus a word, like #socialbusiness) which is how Twitter users signify the topics they are talking about. Given that the most popular handle on Twitter today is Justin Bieber, why would you want to bother with a Tweet Chat as a professional? Here are some of the key benefits.

1. Right platform for B2B conversations

Facebook and YouTube may have the most users, but Twitter and LinkedIn rule the B2B space. While LinkedIn does offer forum type discussion posts within targeted business groups, it is a fairly limited with respect to live chat interactions. Twitter’s open platform makes it easy for businesses and marketers to host regular live chats on business topics to a broad audience (currently 500M+). The openness of the platform also means there is a plethora of tools available to help you participate, host, promote, moderate, and track your Tweet Chats. So if you have a business type topic, such as technology, marketing, career advice, leadership, Tweet Chats are your best bet for a live chat model.

2. Follow, not friend – public is the name of the game

On Twitter, you don’t have to ‘friend’ anyone to participate in the chat or reap any of the other benefits noted below. Simply put, you’re on a social network that’s essentially public, so you can read anyone’s tweets by going to their profile, choose to follow them – or not, and participate in Tweet Chats on topics that interest you anytime without any participation barriers such as registration, approval by chat moderators, etc. Twitter does provide a function whereby users can restrict their tweets only to an audience that they approve, but it is rarely used since it kind of defeats the purpose of being on Twitter, which is a public social network for all intents and purposes.

3. Gain new insights

Tweet Chats done well will bring together influencers on a given topic space, so it’s a great opportunity to learn from other influencers, encounter new ideas, and gain insights on the major trends. People often post links to valuable resources, such as white papers, infographics, and tools related to the topic as well, which can expand your thinking in new directions. Tweet Chats are also one of the best ways to learn who the influencers in a topic space are.

4. Connect – build your network and extend your reach

Since a Tweet Chat is essentially a gathering of thought leaders on a given topic, it’s also a great way to expand your network and deepen relationships with your target audiences. You may get new followers simply by showing up to Tweet Chats, but you certainly will gain new advocates if you contribute to the Tweet Chat in ways that are meaningful and relevant to the other participants. The bonus here is that anytime someone else in the Tweet Chat likes what you say and re-tweets it during the chat, then you’ve also just been exposed to THEIR Twitter followers as well, potentially expanding your reach beyond just the Tweet Chat event. You’ll come away with new followers who won’t just see your links and posts everyday in their Twitter feed, but they are more likely to re-tweet you after engaging with you in a Tweet Chat.

5. Learn how to stand out

Even if you just watch a Tweet Chat without participating, you’ll quickly learn what type of Tweets are picked up and re-tweeted multiple times. You can test it yourself by seeing which of your 140 character attempts at insight, advice, factoids, or reference links gets picked up by the crowd. If you take note of which of your tweets earns the best reactions and which are ignored, you’ll gain insight on how to make your tweets and content as eye-catching as possible. As you apply this both to your regular Tweets and to any future Tweet Chats you participate in, you’ll start to build your realm of influence as people will see how often you are re-tweeted.

6. Build your authority and loyal advocates

Scientists have discovered that it really only takes 10% of the population to sway the popular opinion. A Tweet Chat is a great way to share your expertise and thought leadership, build your authority and start engaging with that top 10% of influencers and thought leaders. As you dialogue and build rapport with them, you will earn their respect and advocacy over time if you demonstrate consistent intelligence and expertise about your topic. The more original and sound your insights are (as opposed to just re-tweeting others or pushing product), the more you will gain recognition as being a thought leader in your own right. And, as you grow your network of loyal advocates, your own authority and expert status (influence) on the topic space will also grow because they will listen to what you have to say.

When you wake up in the morning, what fuels you to begin the day? Are you passionate about your work? The triggers that motivate people to achieve are unique for everyone; for some it’s money; for others, it’s wanting to make a difference, writes Glenn Llopis in Forbes.com.

Motivation has been studied for decades, and leaders often use motivational books and other tools to get employees to increase their performance or get them back on track. But if you’re a leader, it’s critical to get to know your employees, and to be specific about how you help each of them achieve their goals, desires and aspirations. To help one another and to accomplish that, you must identify those motivating factors. In this piece from Forbes.com, see the nine things that ultimately motivate employees to achieve.

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Greater IBM, what do you think of these nine motivators? Please share your own story and perspectives by commenting.

Have you heard of Coursera.org? They have partnered with 33 leading universities around the world, including Duke, Vanderbilt, Stanford, University of London, to name a few, to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. Their vision is to provide everyone in the world with a world-class education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in. Here are some of the upcoming classes that Greater IBMers may be interested in:

Starts Mar 5 (8 wks): (Vanderbilt University) Leading Strategic Innovation in Organizations by David Owens, PhD (Professor at Vanderbilt’s Graduate School of Management, where he also directs the Executive Development Institute. He has also consulted for leading organizations such as NASA, The Smithsonian, Nissan, Cisco, and done product design work for well-known firms such as Daimler Benz, Apple, Dell, Corning, while working at IDEO Product Development)

–Posted by Julie Yamamoto, Program Manager, The Greater IBM Connection

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The January 2013 theme for The Greater IBM Connection is ”leadership”, and The Greater IBM Connection will be sharing various tips, tools, and resources on this topic.

Some days, there just isn’t time enough to finish all of your work. On top of your regular tasks, things crop up that have to be handled right away – pushing you back even further.

Author Liz Strauss

Add to that your long-term deadlines, and that can mean late nights at the office, and/or spending your evenings and weekends working. All of which can make you miss out on the things you would rather be doing – with family and friends.